Sabres Lose Olen Zellweger to Concussion Protocol in Meaningless Preseason Action

The NHL preseason is a six-game exercise in holding your breath and praying your favorite team's roster survives until opening night. The Buffalo Sabres just lost that game of Russian roulette.

Defenseman Olen Zellweger is officially in concussion protocol following preseason action, according to Daily Faceoff. That means instead of gearing up for the regular season, the young blueliner is currently sitting in a dark room waiting for his brain to stop vibrating.

"Daily Faceoff reported Zellweger's entry into concussion protocol."

Buffalo is coming off a 5-1 exhibition win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, but the victory lap is officially canceled. Losing a roster piece in a game that counts for absolutely nothing in the standings is the ultimate sports tax.

Zellweger was just out there on September 19 talking about how fun the team's Blue and Gold Scrimmage was. Fast forward a few days, and he is the latest victim of the NHL's bizarre obsession with playing a full month of meaningless hockey.

This is the exact scenario that drives fans and bettors insane. You spend all summer analyzing depth charts and projecting win totals, only for a guy fighting for a third-line AHL spot to accidentally scramble an NHL regular's hard drive in late September.

The Sabres are scheduled to play the Detroit Red Wings next on Thursday. Expect Buffalo to treat their remaining healthy defensemen like they are carrying the nuclear launch codes.

As for Zellweger, concussion protocol timelines are about as predictable as a roulette wheel. Buffalo will have to shuffle their blue line pairings while they wait to see if he can clear testing before the games actually start to matter.